Month: May 2010

The field of 11 bidders have been dwindled down to four, and they will be informed that they made it to the final round on Tuesday. I’ve been told Larry Ellison is one of the finalists, and no one I’ve talked to has disputed that. But, of course he is a finalist. He’s Larry Ellison. Another finalist, I’ve learned, is Mark Mastrov, founder of 24-Hour Fitness.

The four final bidders were chosen based on their ability to close quickly, which includes having the finances ready and being approved by the NBA.

Despite being slotted at No. 4, the Warriors will draft No. 6. It’s the latest misfortune for a franchise that missed the playoffs for the 15th time in 16 seasons after leading the league in games missed due to injuries. Golden State were leapfrogged by No. 5 Washington and No. 6 Philadelphia, which landed the top two picks, respectively.

In their last 13 draft lotteries, the Warriors have either moved down or remained stagnant. Of course, stagnant would’ve been good this time. Because falling out of the top five not only leaves them out of the reach of Kentucky’s John Wall and Ohio State’s Evan Turner, but they may also be selecting too late to nab Georgia Tech’s Derrick Favors, Syracuse’s Wesley Johnson, and Kentucky’s DeMarcus Cousins.

GM LARRY RILEY: “I’m not going to spend time thinking we should’ve been this number or that number. It is what it is. Now we go to work.”

On the bright side, the sale of the franchise is underway in earnest. According to sources, the Warriors have received at least 10 bids. Cohan can now narrow the field of prospective owners and get down to the real negotiations.